Gold-medal blogging

Oct 26, 2012

I got home tonight in time to tuck the kids into bed. Most nights, Malia and I take turns reading pages in one of her books (Beezus and Ramona, by Beverly Clearly, most recently), but tonight instead I recounted four parts of my day, including a ScienceOnline meeting with Bora and Karyn, and a walk along the Duke Medicine concourse with visitors who wanted to get to the Duke Chapel — when they confirmed they were indeed originally from the Philippines, I broke out the only Tagalog I know:

“Kamusta na po kayo?” I asked. “Mbuti,” they replied.

I asked Malia what my four anecdotes shared in common. “You talked with people,” she replied. Yes, conversations. They drive me.

“Good night, Malia.” I paused in the door. “You know, I need to come up with a costume for the SCONC Halloween party at this weekend’s ScienceWriters2012 conference in Raleigh. What do you think I should wear?”

“You should wear your seven gold medals, dad.” We’re all still laughing about our night a few weeks ago out on the patio playing talk-show host. Here’s Oliver interviewing me:

I chuckled at Malia’s suggestion, but told her that I’d just opened a note that had come in today’s mail. Karen Mishra wrote:

“Dear Anton — I am thanking important people in my life. Your name came up this week and I realized that I would not be a blogger without your initial instruction and encouragement when I was in the PhD program in the j-school….I so appreciate your willingness to help me when I was just starting out.”